Blog Archives

Echo Cliff Park one of Kansas' most beautiful landmarks

7/30/2017

The waters of Mission Creek flow over a small rock waterfall below Echo Cliff Park, west of Dover. Photo by Josh Rouse

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

DOVER — People wrongly believe Kansas is nothing but flat farmland — a flyover state, they say.

That assertion couldn’t be further from the truth, as the state has an overwhelming abundance of beautiful land features, including the majestic Flint Hills, the Big Basin Prairie Preserve, Rock City and the Wakarusa Wetlands.

Among the natural landmarks dotting the map is the native stone scenic byway along K-4 and K-99 highways, in particular Echo Cliff Park, 24927 Echo Cliff Road. The area is made up of sandstone bluffs that wind along Mission Creek in Wabaunsee County, about a 1 1/2 miles west of Dover. It has a rich Indian history, according to the Kansas Sampler Foundation, and arrowheads have been found in the area that date back to 800 to 1000 A.D., when the Woodland Indians resided in the area.

Fishing ForeCast: Northeast Kansas fishing report for August

7/30/2017

Anglers will have about a week of fantastic fishing opportunities to kick off the month before things start to cool down, according to the Farmer’s Almanac’s Fishing Calendar.

Kansas wildlife commission to discuss big game, turkey regulations at Aug. 10 meeting

7/29/2017

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Big game and turkey regulations and an update on current Kansas Walleye Initiative efforts will be among topics discussed Aug. 10 at the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission’s public meeting at Cheney State Park.

Kansas State University researchers say male, female livebearing fish evolve differently

7/25/2017

K-STATE

Kansas State researchers made an interesting discovery recently while studying 112 species of live-bearing fish — that males and females evolve differently.

Michael Tobler, associate professor of biology at K-State, and Zach Culumber, a former K-State postdoctoral research associate, found that female evolution in the Poeciliidae family of fish was influenced more strongly by natural selection and the environment, while male evolution was influenced more by sexual selection — characteristics that females find desirable or that makes them superior competitors — according to a news release from the university.

After 35 years together, couple still enjoys fishing, hiking and camping

7/16/2017

Pat Pierce, of Topeka, poses with a mess of crappie he caught this spring. (Submitted photographs)

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Waves of humid June heat can be seen rolling over the blacktop parking lot out the window as Pat and Tammi Pierce sit side-by-side in a cool booth at Panera Bread.

A shared drink perspires between the two of them, a beet-red shade of lipstick around the rim of the straw, as they discuss the past, and look forward to the future.

Post-retirement plans: Retired mailman finds joy in fishing, outdoors

7/16/2017

Pat Pierce with a 15-pound carp he caught while catfishing on Clinton Lake. (Submitted)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

For years, Pat Pierce was responsible for getting letters to the right place while working for the U.S. Postal Service.

Now, as a retiree, he’s just looking for the right place to find fish.

Lure review: Tightlines UV Whisker series crawdad a solid bass plastic

7/16/2017

Tightlines UV Whisker series crawdad. (Photo by Josh Rouse)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

During a tough day of fishing recently in some heavily weeded waters, I tried out a few new lures with varied results.

One of the better plastic baits I tried out was a Tightlines UV Whisker series crawdad in blue with purple tip. I used a Texas rig hook and hid the tip of the hook in the plastic body of the crawdad. I used a bullet weight near the hook to sink the butt end of the crawdad, leaving the head of the crawdad floating a bit.

KDWPT: 30 deer reported for foot rot disease in Kansas during 2016-17 season

7/16/2017

SUBMITTED

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism recently released information regarding the testing of area deer for a rare type of potentially fatal foot rot disease.

Shawnee County had one report of a sick or dead deer thought to be afflicted with hoof disease in 2016-17, according to a map provided by the KDWPT. The hardest hit counties were in the southeast portion of Kansas — namely Bourbon, Butler and Anderson. Bourbon had between five and eight reports, while Butler and Anderson had between three and four apiece.

Smoky Hill Youth Outdoor Fest set for Aug. 26

7/16/2017

The Smoky Hill Outdoor Youth Festival will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Smoky Hill Weapons Range, 8429 West Farrelly Road in Salina.

Time for frog legs: Kansas bullfrog season jumps off

7/3/2017

Bullfrog season kicked off July 1 in Kansas. (Photo by Josh Rouse)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

Bullfrog season leapt into action July 1 in Kansas, with many taking to the waters to search out the delectable amphibians.